Mumbai: A recent RTI reveals that MHADA, BEST, and the Central and State governments have paid BMC Rs 243 crore in pending property tax over the past five years. However, this payment represents only a fraction of the total Rs 22,000 crore in outstanding dues, which also include amounts owed by private establishments.
The RTI was filed by Godfrey Pimenta, founder of the Watchdog Foundation, seeking details of recoveries from government agencies. As per BMC’s June 17, 2025 reply, it recovered Rs 77.25 crore from MHADA, Rs 12.51 crore from BEST, Rs 73.68 crore from the state government, Rs 36.55 crore from the Centre, Rs 42.81 crore from market bodies, and Rs 50 lakh from the Railways in the last five years.
Pimenta stated that "While BMC takes strict action against private defaulters including notices, sealing, and auctions. No similar action is taken against government agencies despite years of non-payment. A senior civic official responded, saying, “We regularly follow up with government agencies and have managed to recover some dues.”
Recently, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had requested the State Urban Development (UD) Department to instruct the BMC to waive property tax on temporary casting yards and Ready Mix Concrete (RMC) plants set up by Metro contractors.
The BMC has identified several major property tax defaulters, including prominent real estate developers, government agencies. As part of its recovery drive, the civic body has been issuing notices to large defaulters. An auction of 25 properties belonging to those who have failed to clear their dues is scheduled to be held soon.
